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Rick Mercer celebrates 10 years of ranting: Q&A

In A Nation Worth Ranting About, CBC TV star Rick Mercer of Rick Mercer Report is unapologetic for his tirades.

Rick Mercer is celebrating 10 years of rants on Rick Mercer report and has a new book, A Nation Worth Ranting About. (Brett Gundlock for the Toronto Star)

By Jennifer PagliaroStaff Reporter

Mon., Sept. 17, 2012

Rick Mercer just keeps on ranting.

Nothing is too big or too small in the world of politics or Canadiana for this TV celebrity, who notably took heat last year for a controversial rant on bullied teen Jamie Hubley, who took his own life.

In his new book, A Nation Worth Ranting About, Mercer is unapologetic for what makes him mad and what makes him feel.

And as Rick Mercer Report celebrates 10 years of ranting, he’s not slowing down.

The Star sat down with Mercer to find out about the best and worst rant moments of the past decade.

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Q: What is your favourite rant and why?

A: I guess it’s a loaded question: favourite rant. I would say the Jamie Hubley rant, which I wrote after the death of Jamie Hubley, who took his own life because he was bullied. I think it’s an odd choice, because it’s an odd rant. For starters it wasn’t funny. But it was all I could do in response to his death, because I took it very personally like I think most adults did. And I’m glad that that rant created a dialogue. If I could choose one rant to go viral it would be that one, because it’s just a subject that touched me.

Q: Would you say the Hubley rant got the most attention?

A: It’s hard to tell, of course. And I don’t actually pay that much attention to social media. In many ways it was aimed at young people, but I was amazed at the response from parents who were just terrified because their kids were being bullied. Even in my own workplace, suddenly someone I’d worked with for three or four years, who I was quite close to, suddenly started telling me how her daughter was bullied and how much stress their family was under. That was a big eye-opener for me.

Q: Are there any of your rants that you wish you could take back?

A: Oh, you know (he laughs). Yes. The medium that I work in moves really fast. I write my rants on Thursday and I shoot them on Friday and they go on television and a million people see them on Tuesday. So, the turnaround is very quick. I think I’m a fair guy. I don’t generally resort to just name calling unless it’s for comedic purposes. So there’s never been an instance where I’ve regretted it.

Q: You mention in the acknowledgments that your executive producer, Gerald Lunz, fixes some of your rants. Are there any he’s read where he’s like, “Whoa, we can’t do this”?

A: Oh tons. But mostly because they’re not funny enough; not making the point that he knows I’m trying to make. I think every writer needs an editor.

Q: You mentioned also that some of the rants almost write themselves. What do you think was the rant that was the hardest to get out?

A: Some of them do write themselves because it just comes out. I’m no different than anyone else. There are a lot of great Canadian ranters out there and a lot of them are just driving taxis. They just don’t happen to have TV shows. In my style of rant one of the key elements is that it’s a minute and 40 seconds. And so if you have a lot to say or you want to be careful of what you have to say, there’s a lot of editing. Some of them I struggle with for a long time.

Q: What about a rant that got the most backlash?

A: Certainly with the Jamie Hubley rant . . . I made a point that if you are a public figure or if you’re just an adult that has any level of success professionally — whether you’re a police officer or a soldier or a TV host or politician — and if you’re gay or lesbian, it’s important that you’re visible. I didn’t say you have to march in Pride parades. Just be visible for the kids who are struggling with this issue and it might mean a lot to them to realize the police officer down the street is gay. Some people viewed that as coming dangerously close to suggesting people should be outed. That was not my attention at all.

Q: Do you have a favourite rant outfit? I noticed you’re wearinga lot of blackin all of them.

A: I just put on whatever I happen to be wearing at the office that day. If I was wearing a red jacket that day, I might say, “Oh s---” and then just borrow a black coat from someone.

Q: What about a favourite rant-writing tactic?

A: I always write them at the office. I used to write them at home, but that was no good because the couch and the TV are there.

Q: What do you think Canadians should be ranting more about?

A: I think that there’s a real danger in us becoming too complacent. I understand that a lot of people, they’ve got their kids in school, they’re three or four paycheques away from going under; they’ve got a lot going on. Life fills up very quickly. So it’s very easy to stop paying attention. And the danger is when the government counts on the fact that we won’t pay attention.

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